It drives me bonkers when I get 90% of the way through a task and find out a key feature is missing. The frustration isn’t limited to the big gotcha with Google Maps and SugarCRM either. Think about the last time you were about to tear into some pie-ala-mode only to open the freezer and discover someone ate all the vanilla. Now you’re faced with a decision: either pretend pie-all-alone is good enough, or pony up some cash and high-tail it to the supermarket. An aggravating predicament indeed. But now imagine that ice cream costs thirty thousand dollars, and instead of eating a substandard dessert all by yourself, your entire sales team bet their ability to foster good customer relationships on your delivering a complete pie plate.

We’re well past aggravating now. This kind of mishap is often the first step toward looking for a new job and it happens all the time. The good news is - at least as it relates to Google Maps and SugarCRM - you’ll soon know what to look for and how to avoid it.

Here’s the skinny - Google Maps’ API is “free,” but only most of the time. When you use it on a public website, through an Andriod App, or privately for developmental purposes, you can pretty much do what you want with it, free of charge. This is great news for developers; they can code their little hearts out and build great plugins. The problem develops when you try to use these tools inside another application. Since you’re not specifically charging people to use your Google Maps API key, you might think you’re in the clear. But you’re not. Section 9 of Google’s often overlooked license agreement states - in layman’s terms - that if you charge people (or pay) to log into the application from which your API is called, that’s as good as charging them for access to your API. For this privilege: private, restricted, paid access to your company’s specific API key… for this privilege, Google charges $30,000.

You might ask: How has no one mentioned this before? How come so many people still use these plug ins? Are they really coughing up thirty grand for this? Is there an alternative?

These are all fair questions, so let me address them one at a time.

How has no one mentioned this before? People don’t mention it because it’s not in the best interest of marketing. Let me be clear: no has been lied to. But like with any wart, hidden costs are just not something you want to shine a light on. How come so many people still use these plugins? Same reason you still eat your pie: even without the ice cream on top, it’s still dessert. Without the upgraded Google Maps Business Class license key, you can still map things inside SugarCRM for free; you just can’t do it accurately. Are they really coughing up thirty grand for this? Sometimes. Precision is important when you map things; Google knows this, that’s why they place such a commanding price on it. But more often than not, customers choose to return to the catalog and pursue an alternate solution. Is there an alternative? Absolutely. Several in fact but - as you might imagine given this post’s host - I’d recommend Tech Advisors’ help to understand your options. So whichever direction you choose to go, now you can do so with your eyes open and your checkbook closed. And next time you think about buying some pie, remember to check the freezer before you leave for the store.